AshCash gives AU students off-campus payment options

Megan Edwards Published: October 14, 2006 12:00 AM

By MEGAN EDWARDST-G Staff WriterTo entice students off-campus to frequent local businesses, Ashland University has recently created AshCash.This is the first year for AshCash, a program that allows students to use their Eagle Card as a form of payment in participating businesses, according to Matt Portner, director of auxiliary services. Students can access their account from a Web site, which also offers coupons and specials for various vendors.It allows students to take the Eagle Card off campus into some of the vendors in the community and use it like a debit card, Portner said.According to Portner, between 12 and 16 local businesses, ranging from pizza parlors, coffee houses and chain restaurants, to a bowling alley, dry cleaning service and a convenience store, are participating in the program.It started almost a year ago with development phases, Portner said. By last spring, it got to the point where we gauged interest and enough people wanted to go with it.Originally, the program began out of interest of local vendors, who wanted to draw students off campus and into the community.How it works is students deposit any amount of money into their Eagle Card account, which can also be used on campus in a variety of ways as well as an identification card. That money, then, is simply used wherever the card holder chooses.The card features a picture of the student, and so far, Portner said, no security issues have taken place.We can turn off the card immediately if they lose it or it gets taken, he said.The program is managed by a company based out of King-of-Prussia, Pa., called Off-Campus Solutions LLC. Smaller schools, Portner said, use companies such as Off-Campus Solutions because of manpower.This is really booming right now, he said. Bigger schools have been able to coordinate these programs in-house, with support and equipment.Because the program has just begun this fall, Portner said he hasnt had much feedback yet.We have not had any complaints, Portner said. Im excited about the number of vendors participating.n Megan Edwards can be reached at 419-281-0581, ext. 239, or medwards@times-gazette.com.